Obstructive sleep apnea and glaucoma

Hokkaido University in Japan has a group of scientists who have studied the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and glaucoma, and they have found that there can be damage to the optic nerve in patients with OSA. But the interesting thing is that the lack of oxygen due to the OSA does not cause a brief sharp increase in eye pressure. Therefore, these patients with glaucoma have normal eye pressures.

Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve is damaged because of increased eye pressure. Or is it? This study seems to show that the damage may be caused by something else in patients with OSA. Glaucoma causes a smaller field of vision and can result in blindness. But patients with OSA seem to have glaucoma at about ten times the rate of patients who do not have OSA.

This was a difficult study to perform — to measure eye pressure in sleeping patients — but these scientists were able to do it (see the journal referenced at the end of this article). Normally, when patients breathe out, the eye pressure increases. But in this study, the scientists found that eye pressure decreased when the patients had an apnea event (stopped breathing). This seems to indicate that the optic nerve damage can be from the drop in oxygen without an increase in eye pressure.

This study could help scientists find out why some patients with glaucoma have normal eye pressure. The relationship of OSA to medical conditions is still unknown to a large extent, as this study has shown.

Journal Reference: Yasuhiro Shinmei, Takuya Nitta, Hiroshi Saito, Takeshi Ohguchi, Riki Kijima, Shinki Chin, Susumu Ishida. Continuous Intraocular Pressure Monitoring During Nocturnal Sleep in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Investigative Opthalmology & Visual Science, 2016;57 (6): 2824 DOI: 10.1167/iovs. 16-19220

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Dr. Donald Johnson founded Northwest Treatment Center for Snoring & Sleep Apnea in Coeur d’Alene to help patients stop their snoring and live free with no limits! Obstructive sleep apnea is usually able to be treated with a small oral appliance. Dr. Johnson’s office is at 114 W. Neider Ave., near Costco. The website for more information is www.NWSleepDoc.com and the office phone is (208) 667-4551. Schedule a free consultation appointment today!